The Date is Set!

April 14 is when I return to my original band surgeon (now that I am back in Portland) and get an upper GI and a fill. About 6 weeks from now, which is actually perfect. By then, Lucy will be 6 months old and I will stop taking domperidone (and probably stop lactating after that), and I'll be ready to start losing weight without fear of damaging my milk supply. In the meanwhile, I am looking for an inexpensive jogging stroller (on Craigslist mostly) to give me more options for working out. I think I might also arrange for our nanny to come once a week so I can go to the gym.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to compile a list of easy-to-prepare, healthy dinners to make quickly and a list of ingredients to keep on hand. Most of the cooking here is done by my husband; sometimes I enjoy cooking, but I don't like the day-to-day meal preparation, and I've never been good at planning ahead for meals, although I know I could save a lot of money if I did.

So, anyone have any favorite go-to recipes for dinner that are healthy and band-friendly (weight loss friendly)? I'd love to hear them!

I'm relieved to start this process. As much as I enjoyed (most of) my pregnancy, and this time of providing nourishment for my daughter, I am ready to fit into my clothes again. I'm also ready to get back into shape.

And there's more. I've been following up on this benign lump in my breast for some time. I've seen a bunch of doctors, and it's not anything dangerous, but they do think I should have it removed. It's large enough that removing it means I need a repeat breast reduction (which I needed anyway) to make things even. But...we still might have another baby, and it would have to be relatively soon if we do (like the next couple years), and I want to try breastfeeding again. Also, I want my tummy tuck at the same time (!). So, I have a referral to a plastic surgeon, but I would need to lose weight first at a minimum. What would make the most sense is waiting for all of that until I've either decided against a second baby or after that baby is born (and weaned). So, that's on the horizon, but I don't think it will be for a few years. Meanwhile, losing weight is definitely part of the plan.

So, one more month of pumping for Lucy. Pumping is so much work. I know I've complained about it before. I don't think if I had a second child that I could do this exclusive-pumping thing again, not with a baby and a toddler running around. It just takes too much time and ties you down too much. 6 months is my max for Lucy because she is already getting too restless to tolerate my pumping schedule. Many pumping sessions get started and abruptly interrupted because she needs or wants my time (and you can't blame a 5 month old for that). I can't see her tolerating it very well beyond 6 months. And it really sucks being tied to that thing every 3-4 hours for at least 30 minutes. I'm going to miss being able to provide milk for Lucy, but not the pumping.